Create account

ID4me is an internet service that enables its users to log in to many different internet services with one account. This is also known as "single sign on".

Unlike existing global single sign on solutions like the ones from Google or Facebook, ID4me does not track and analyze the internet surfing habits of its users. ID4me will make sure that the surfing habits stay secret.

Also, ID4me does not belong to an enterprise. It is an open standard that is maintained by a nonprofit organization. Anyone who wants to can participate. This way the users can chose freely between different ID4me providers and can also change the provider anytime.

Which 2017 phone has the best camera?

We pit two of 2017's top flagship phones - the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 - against two of the best camera phones of 2017: the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S8+. Which phone came out on top? Read on to find out!

Before we kick off, it's worth pointing out a couple of things first. The V30 we used was a pre-production device. As a result, the final picture quality may be marginally different to what we show you below. Our iPhone 7 Plus already had iOS 11 installed, and last but not least, the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ are both devices in a same series. Here's a bit more on the cameras on some of the phones:

We took three pictures with each smartphone, and selected the best to show you here. To keep the conditions as consistent as possible, we took all pictures consecutively. We also used the standard camera app settings for each phone.

Subject 1: Nature

We took this first series of photos in the woods. The challenge here was the high difference of brightness, and the various green tones. The LG V30 and Samsung smartphones create vibrant colors and intense green tones. The photo taken with the iPhone looks pallid in comparison.

The photographs from the Samsung Galaxy S8+ and the Galaxy Note 8 are a little too green for me. They seem to lose character somewhat. In my opinion, the LG V30 is the perfect middle ground.

Which brand produced the best images in your opinion?

Choose “LG V30” or “Samsung/iPhone”.

close

You picked undefined!What would your friends choose?share

VS

290

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

LG V30

337

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

Samsung/iPhone

Subject 2: Night

For this one, the smartphones had to flex their low-light capabilities. On paper, the LG V30 has the best specs for this with its f1.6 aperture. But its built-in image sensor, the Sony IMX351, is smaller than its competitors' - at 1/3.1 inches. This increases light sensitivity. So in this comparison, the LG V30 loses out.

At 1/3.0 inches, the light-sensitive chip in the iPhone 7 Plus is indeed rather small. To compensate, Apple probably ensures the signal processing is great. The iPhone photos look the most balanced and offer the best depth details. Even the color rendering is more accurate than the Samsung devices, which deliver more blueish results.

Which device produced the best night time photos in your opinion?

Choose “iPhone 7 Plus” or “Samsung/LG”.

close

You picked undefined!What would your friends choose?share

VS

244

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

iPhone 7 Plus

399

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

Samsung/LG

Subject 3: Macro

In macro mode, detail reproduction is important. The rose in this subject features intense red tones, which are generally fairly challenging for cameras. While we only trimmed the pictures slightly in the last few tests, here we showing you an enlarged portion of the picture. The iPhone 7 Plus is ahead in the race, with its rose leaves looking the most realistic. Nevertheless, the iPhone still struggles with light watercolor artifacts.

The fine details unfortunately turn into a red smattering with the LG V30. Photos from the two Samsung smartphones also lack the definition and detail that I hoped for. There simply isn't enough contrast in the leaves.

This shows the results again from another perspective. The iPhone 7 Plus simply produces more detail in the rose petals.

Subject 4: Contrast

Our fourth subject tests the contrast and different brightness levels of the phones' cameras. Here we have clouds passing over some rooftops. The light and dark parts of the picture are well depicted by all phones but the LG V30 appears a little dull - the contrast in the clouds is less pronounced.

The photos from both Samsung phones are very saturated using the standard setting. The iPhone 7 Plus in comparison holds itself back somewhat, but moves the cloud contrast higher up. Which photo is the best will surely be a matter of opinion.

Which brand performed best in terms of color contrast?

Choose “Samsung ” or “iPhone/LG”.

close

You picked undefined!What would your friends choose?share

VS

321

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

Samsung

233

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

iPhone/LG

Subject 5: Still life

This last test focuses on color rendering. And to suit the season, we've chosen that subject to be a pumpkin. For me, the iPhone 7 is clearly a cut above here. The colors of the mandarin and the pumpkin are as different in the photograph as they are in real life. On the other hand, both the V30 and both Samsung devices drift towards orange.

The iPhone 7 Plus, with its beautiful color rendering is the clear winner here for me. Which do you think is the best?

Choose “iPhone 7 Plus” or “LG/Samsung”.

close

You picked undefined!What would your friends choose?share

VS

130

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

iPhone 7 Plus

389

Votes

Oops! Seems like something went wrong. Reloading might help.

LG/Samsung

Other differences

The differences between the smartphone cameras aren't restricted to picture quality, but they also concern hardware. While the Galaxy S8+ has a simple camera, the Galaxy Note 8 and the Apple iPhone 7 Plus both have an additional tele-module on board. The LG V30 also offers a wide angle lens, which produces particularly spectacular results for scenic shots.

For this article, we focused on the standard sensor in the name of fairness. We'll put the wide angle lens, tele- and portrait function under the microscope another day. Hopefully, we'll be able to compare this to the new iPhone 8 Plus by then.

Final verdict

The camera of the iPhone 7 Plus, despite being older, puts in a great performance in most situations. Perhaps the fact that we updated the Apple phone to iOS 11 played a role here. Image processing is an enormous component of the resulting quality.

My expectations for the new iPhones in regard to image quality are accordingly high. I'm also excited for the Google Pixel 2 and Huawei Mate 10, both of which we'll see in October.

What is your pick for the best smartphone camera of 2017? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

4 comments

Just wondering androidpit how much is Samsung paying you to have two Samsung phones in this comparison? when both the S8 and note8 have same camera in them! This site called androidpit is going down the pan in my opinion soon be time for the uninstal button!

The only trouble is you mentioned the best phone camera there's one which is better than these that's the xzpremium,but there again this site called androidpit is becoming very biased towards some phones whatever happened to this site when you could get an unbiased review of all phone makes.?

Recommended articles

FOLLOW US:

I am subscribing to the Email newsletter. I have understood the privacy policy.

I am able to revoke my consent to the use of my e-mail address at any time with immediate effect by clicking on the "Unsubscribe now" link at the end of the newsletter or by changing the newsletter settings in my Profile under "Email Notifications and Newsletter".